Japan embassy confirms its gov’t received info on possible terror attack in Philippines

Japan's embassy in Manila on Tuesday confirmed that its government has received information on possible terror attacks in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.

"We confirm that the Japanese government has received information about a possible terror attack, but we cannot give you any detailed background at the moment," the Japanese Embassy said in a statement.

" In relation to this, we issued a warning to alert Japanese people residing in some Southeast Asian countries, but we cannot disclose the source."

On Monday, Japan warned its citizens against possible attacks in six Southeast Asian countries—the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar— and urged them to avoid "Western-owned" facilities, such as hotels and restaurants, and religious sites.

"We ask all Japanese residents to remain vigilant against terrorist attacks,” it added.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said it obtained information on "increased risks such as suicide bombings.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not informed by the embassy on this matter. However, it added, countries can issue travel alerts for its citizens.

"[T]his type of information may have been shared among intelligence agencies," it said.

The Department of Defense, meanwhile, said that it is working to validate the information, while the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police said that no threats have been monitored in the country.

"As with all reports concerning the safety and security of our communities, the aforementioned advisory will be subjected to the process of validation," DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. — BM, GMA News